Ohhh, sneaky, sneaky Nintendo! Early reports have come in that the new DSi is not - repeat, NOT - capable of booting existing flash cartridges, including the R4 and the EZ Flash V. Looks like Sony's not the only one getting all crackdown on homebrew and piracy.

Nintendo DS users keen on fully taking advantage of the DS's built-in mic can now rejoice, as homebrew developer samuelv has updated his homebrew VoIP for the DS, SvSIP.

For those who aren't familiar with this nifty DS application, SvSIP lets users take advantage of the DS's Wi-FI connection and built-in microphone to make internet calls. The SvSIP has been tested on the Superkey, SuperCard and the M3 Simply for compatibility, and they all work fine with the DS VoIP homebrew.

The latest update, SvSIP v6, now allows for Wi-Fi connection configuration without the need of a Wi-Fi enabled game, like the previous versions. Wi-Fi management has been improved as well, and the Wi-Fi connection parameters can now be edited manually.

The most important update for the version is that the DS now rings whenever a call is received. The Nintendo DS as a phone? No longer inconceivable. Enjoy the download!


Download: SvSIP v6

Nintendo DS R4 users annoyed with how flimsy the R4's spring mechanism in its Micro SD slot can now heave a sigh of relief: new R4 units with redesigned shells are now out, with the spring mechanism now eliminated.

Those who aren't acquainted as to what R4 is, it's one of the more popular alternatives for a SuperCard, and is also compatible with DLDI system.

According to the R4 website, there were many complaints received from R4 users about how the spring gets easily damaged over use. And since the Micro SD slot's spring mechanism is used every time gamers load and swap homebrew and media files, the spring's most likely bound to be busted at some point after frequent usage.

But now that it's eliminated, DS R4 owners can now take out and re-insert their Micro SDs from their R4 cartridges as often as they want without worries.

In case fellow DS owners there would like to get VoIP capability on their portable Ninty console,  we've got something coming in from developer samuelv. The coder has announced the release of SvSIP, an application that allows you to directly use your DS as a phone via its built-in microphone, speakers (or headphones), and WiFi connectivity.

samuelv further notes that you'll have to set up an Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) account, and another WiFI-based DS app (like Mario Kart DS) to configure your connections. With regards to compatibility, SvSIP has been tested on Superkey, SuperCard, and M3 Simply (all with a  1GB MicroSD card) - the last one had to be patched.

For those wondering, SvSIP is based on the pjsip development library used in building embedded/non-embedded VoIP applications.

On a last note, the app appears to be running properly (when properly configured), as was stated by testers over at the GBAtemp forums. The download is available here, although we strongly advise readers to visit samuelv's website for further usage instructions. Enjoy the download.

Download: SvSIP

 The Supercard line of flashcarts has been known to have issues with fake versions of its hardware emerging in the flashcart market (mostly from street dealers in China though). The Supercard team has been constantly notifying it's customers of potential fakes, how to identify them and how to avoid them. Several people have been scammed through this because they are often made to resemble the Supercard products with little differences in design.

The latest "fake" Supercard comes in the shape of an entirely different flashcart, the CycloDS MicroSD. CycloDS emerged in the scene just under a year ago and since then has released several products in the Slot-2 market and the CycloDS Evolution for the Slot-1 Market. CycloDS has also gathered up a good following from several sites and customers as a nice alternative solution to other popular carts (M3, Supercard).

However, not everything is what it seems to be with this team. Apparantly their MicroSD Slot-2 flashcart is a "fake" Supercard. In my eyes, it can not be deemed a "fake" Supercard, but instead a clone under a different name. The flashcart supposedly uses the same firmware (with slight modifications) as the Supercard MicroSD product and slight hardware differences. This team is not out to fool you like all the others claiming to have a Supercard product so the trouble and risk is minimum.

Here's a new application for those using the Slot 1 SuperCard flash cart with their DS, and it comes straight out of the developing office of SuperCard coder ratx.

The SuperCard DS Skinner increases compatibility with the SuperCard just as ratx's Magic homebrew patcher does, allowing you to patch your own wallpaper into the latest English msforsc.nds using your PC and this batch script and other utilities compiled by ratx. Having custom wallpapers is something we all enjoy, and now you can make your own without any error messages!

What this does is this simply replaces the existing sclogo.b15 with your own image file in PNG format. It then removes the bootup error screen so you don't have to sit through the error every time you boot up with your custom image file. The only limitations with this program is that your compressed wallpaper.bin has to be less than or around 18k to 26k as a raw PNG file.

This package also includes ratx's SuperCard DS "parts maker" that will cut a msforsc.nds into the part1 and part3 needed for patching your own wallpaper, so no need to do that yourself. As far as customizing your DS goes, it doesn't get much easier than this.

Download: [SuperCard DS Skinner v0.1]

Lazyone has posted a quick little update regarding the progress of Mini vMac on his dev blog over at Drunken Coders today. According to him, Mini vMac can now use the ram on some GBA slot cards (Supercard/M3) thanks to everybody who donated towards the Supercard (yay for homebrew-supporting people!)

Due to this development, it is now possible for Lazyone to include builds for a 4mb configuration. Lazyone says that Mini vMac currently runs at 8-16fps when using ram in the GBA slot, and thanks to Wintermute's help, the speed penalty "when using external ram is alot smaller with a difference of around 3fps compared to using the main ram."

Finally, Lazyone has released a shot of 4mb emulation running on a DS, thanks to RyanFB. Check it out below and keep checking back here on QJ for more updates.

A few months after our last report, SNEmulDS roars to life! Although it is still in version 0.3, it now has DLDI support. Just to give you a quick background as to what in heaven's name are we talking about, SNEmulDS is a Super Nintendo Nes emulator for the Nintendo DS. It is partially based on SNEmul, a SNES emulator for DOS and Linux, which was the brainchild of archeide & v0x.

Now back to 0.3 with Dynamically Linked Device Interface (DLDI). The recent release is now compatible with a wide array of devices such as:

• DSLink (microSD Card)
• Ewin2 (SD Card)
• EZ Flash 4 (SD Card)
• EZ Flash 5 (SD Card)
• G6 Flash (version 0.15)
• M3 Adapter (Compact Flash)
• M3 Adapter (SD card)
• Max Media Dock (Compact Flash)
• GBA Movie Player (Compact Flash)
• GBA Movie Player (SD Card)
• NEO Flash MK2 & MK3 (SD Card)
• NEO2 (SD Card)
• Ninja DS (SD Card)
• R4(DS)- Revolution for DS, M3 Simply compatible
• SuperCard (Compact Flash)
• SuperCard DS (Slot-1)
• SuperCard (SD Card)

The developer also added that "you can patch SNEmulDS.nds to support others devices as long as those device have been made compatible with the DLDI system. So you should visit this site regularly for updates, if your device is not supported by SNEmulDS yet!" If you're having problems with it, don't hesitate to tell what's wrong in the comments section, the dev would appreciate that.

Download: [SNEmulDS 0.3 with DLDI]

SuperCard DS-ONE OS v1229 is now available for download. SuperCard is the first extra flash memory game cartridge with simple but practical functions. SuperCard DS-ONE OS v1229 has the following main features:

• Added Built-in SuperKey function which works as a SuperKey to boot slot 2 SuperCard
• Added "AUTO set SD speed" function which can set optimization speed automatically
  

The SuperCard software and firmware is compatible only with the original SuperCard. The company says using the software with other brands may cause some problems. They will not respond to issues related to such misuse so don't even think about it! So now, enjoy the download.

Download: [SuperCard DS-ONE OS v1229]

Noda has issued the first release of Warcraft:Tower Defense v0.1 beta - a DS adaptation of the Warcraft III mod. This homebrew game now works only with flashcards that allow PAFS working such as Supercard, M3 (using the .ds.gba), and maybe a few others.

Noda reminds one and all that this is only the beta version. If you want to know what the final version would be like, it will include the following:

• Fatlib (DLDI version) map loading
• Options menu to choose to use either PAFS or Fatlib loader & change some preferences
• New sound engine
• Stereo sound placement for the in-game SFX
• More palettes for monsters
• A manual and a complete documentation for the map editor
• Multiplayer function

But for now Warcraft:Tower Defense v0.1 beta has only one map. With the included Map Editor, Noda expects a lot of new wonderful maps from fellow Warcraft fans (that means you)!

How to use: Put the maps (*.tdm) in the /Maps subfolder, then double click on "ADD MAPS.bat"

For more info, please refer to the readme file.

Download: [Warcraft:Tower Defense v0.1 beta]